SECOND CHANCES
by WesternWind
Summary: This is a story about Charlie and Renee. Will they get a second chance with each other? Rated T for future content.
1. Arrival

SECOND CHANCES

SECOND CHANCES

**Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They are, of course, the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**Author's note: I have taken some liberties with the relationship between Renee and Phil and perhaps their financial situation. Okay, I probably destroy Phil. Otherwise, I have tried to stay true to the personalities of the characters. The story also alternates between Bella's and Renee's point of view.**

Bella's POV

My stomach was already filled with butterflies and I still had a half hour before my mom's plane would even arrive. She was coming here for my wedding. She and I had already had several contentious telephone conversations. I was worried that she wouldn't come at all. But, she was my mom, after all. Of course, she would come. She had requested that I come to pick her up alone. No doubt so she could give me another lecture about how Edward and I were too young to get married. I was sure that being back in Forks would only remind her of more things to bring up about how I was unprepared to be married just as she and Charlie were. At least Phil would not be coming with her. I didn't mind Phil at all, but having him have to sit there through her lecture to me was not something that I had looked forward to. Renee didn't say why he wasn't coming, just told me tersely that he would not be here. Since Phil didn't come, I turned down Edward's offer to borrow his car and decided to bring my truck. It was only an hour long drive to Port Angeles. I figured having the windows rolled down might drown out some of my mother's words.

I waited at the end of the terminal so I could walk with Mom to the baggage pick-up. Finally, I saw her heading toward me. She looked terrible. Way too tired and way too thin. Renee had always lost weight when she was stressed. Certainly this wasn't all my fault. Could she really be that torn up about me getting married? Since she had begun a new life with Phil, I didn't think this would be so hard on her. It wasn't like I was moving out of her house and leaving her alone like I was doing to Charlie. It was definitely going to be a long ride home. I gave her a smile and a wave.

Renee smiled back whole heartedly and grabbed me in a big hug. "Bella, it is so great to see you!" The tears started down her cheeks.

"I'm happy to see you too, Mom," I replied. At least she really did seem relieved to be here. Maybe I wasn't fully to blame for her appearance.

She took my hand and we headed off to retrieve her luggage.

"I have so much to tell you, Bella. It has been so long since we have really talked," said Renee.

I was under the impression that she had had enough of talking to me with how angry she had seemed since I told her two months ago that I was getting married. I was confused now, though. I expected her to immediately start with the criticism. I did not expect this melancholy, wistful meeting at all. "We have plenty of time, Mom."

We picked up her suitcases from the claims area. She sure had brought a lot for a week's stay. We stacked them up on a cart and headed out to the truck. My mom laughed when she saw my truck. "Bella, every time I see this old truck it gives me a chuckle. It is so perfect for you."

I wondered how much longer I would drive this truck or how much I might even want to after Edward had fulfilled his promise to change me. But for now, it was perfect. We put her stuff in the back and hopped in the front for the drive home. I stayed quiet. I didn't want to bring up the conversation. I wished Edward was here to help me through the storm I knew was brewing. I was sure if I looked closely enough, I would probably spot a shiny silver Volvo near us. At least he was near. Hopefully, he was close enough to listen in on Renee's thoughts. He could fill me in on what she really wanted to say later tonight. I was happy to see my mom. I was also sad as this might be the last time that I saw her. I hated that she was so unhappy. Finally, I had to breech the silence. "Mom, how are you?


	2. Coming Clean

SECOND CHANCES

SECOND CHANCES

Chapter 2

Renee's POV

"Bella, I'm fine," I lied.

"It's just that you look really tired, Mom."

"It was a long flight." I tried to delay the conversation not really knowing how to start.

"Mom, it's me. I can tell when things are bothering you. You wanted me here alone so you could talk to me so let's get it over with. I know where you stand about this, but I know you want to speak your peace anyway. From the looks of you, it has been on your mind for a long time." Bella replied.

Bella was always very perceptive about my mood. "Bella, I do want to talk to you. I even do still want to talk to you about this marriage thing of yours, but that is not what is bothering me." There was no easy way to say it, so I had better just put it out there. "Phil and I are getting a divorce."

"What?" a shocked Bella asked.

I could swear I heard an engine rev somewhere. And, it wasn't from this noisy truck. I hoped we made it back to town okay. I felt like I was having to scream just to be heard over the engine and the wind. "It's a very long story, hon." Could I get through this without breaking down in tears. Doubtful. Would Bella give me the 'I told you so' look?

"This truck doesn't go very fast, so we have lots of time, Mom"

"Okay. It started a while back when Phil broke his leg. I tended to his every need and he seemed to be taking me for granted. I felt he could have been up and about long before he was. But, he was content to sit at home and not even look for work. You know that I have been substitute teaching while in Florida because I don't have a teaching license there. Since it is summer, though, I picked up a job as a cashier in a department store to bring in some money. Phil's employment has always been sporadic at best. I thought this coaching thing would be more stable than looking to get picked up as a player, but after he got hurt, he couldn't work. At least he said he couldn't work."

I was glad that Bella had to keep her eyes on the road so she couldn't stare at me through this confessional. Phil was much younger than I and I was attracted to his ball player life early on. But, with this confluence of events, I realized that I had once again gotten into a situation where I should have known better.

I continued, "So, things were getting tough financially. Then, Bella, you called me up to tell me that you were getting married. Of course, I didn't like the idea. I think you are both too young as I have told you. I know it sounds so crazy, but it started me thinking. Even though you aren't living with me, I still felt like I was losing my child. I had seen Phil working so well with the younger boys he was coaching and I started to think about if he would want kids." Bella stared at me incredulously.

"So, you were thinking about having another baby?" Bella asked.

"I told you it was crazy. It just seemed that Phil was so happy coaching and I was feeling a little 'empty nest.' So, I asked him if he had ever thought about having children of his own. He said that he did want to have kids _'one day.' _ You know it was hard for us when you were little, Bella. Maybe I was thinking about having another chance to do a better job."

"You did a great job, Mom. You earned you degree and made a nice life for us. Don't ever feel like you didn't do enough."

Just like Bella. She was always so caring. Maybe she _was_ old enough to get married. She had been taking care of me for years. "Anyway, Bella, this is where the big blow up happens. I told Phil that if he was serious about having a family that we both needed to find better employment so we wouldn't have to struggle. Since he was not working there and I was working only part time, I suggested that we move back to Phoenix. I still had the house there, so it would cut our expenses. Plus, I could look for a full time teaching job. That way, we would have health insurance to cover the pregnancy. At my age, there might be more expenses.

"Phil told me that he really liked living in Florida and didn't want to go back to Phoenix. He suggested that I sell the house and that would give us a nest egg until I could get my license in Florida and he could find work. I felt a little wary about this. I mean, that was our house, Bella. I know that I haven't always been the most responsible person, but even my warning bells were going off. He told me that we had plenty of time to get our finances together because it wasn't like we were going to have a baby any time soon."

"Mom, maybe he wasn't thinking about it the same way as you. But, maybe it is still something that can be worked out," Bella said with understanding.

"I know I am impulsive, Bella. But, I only have a few more years where I can even attempt to get pregnant. I hadn't ever thought about it until now. Neither had Phil, I guess. So, I asked him if he was sure that he wanted to have a child. He said that he definitely wanted kids of his own. He felt he could be a great father and would love teaching baseball to his sons. I asked him when he felt would be a good time to start on this family, then. He said that he still had too much he wanted to do before having kids and wouldn't be ready for at least ten years." The tears started then. I felt so ridiculous. Here I was almost forty and I'm spilling my marital woes to my teenage daughter.

"I am so sorry, Mom. But, really, maybe Phil just didn't understand that you would not be able to have kids then."

"I thought about that, Bella. Of course, I was crying and he couldn't figure out what was wrong. So, I did tell him that I would not be able to have children in ten years. He just shrugged and said, 'Oh.' Oh, Bella! That was all he could come up with." The tears were flowing freely now. I was going to look a mess by the time we got to town. Maybe I wouldn't see anybody I knew. I'm sure they had enough gossip about me without me looking like a train wreck.

"I know, Bella, that Phil and I should have discussed these important things before we got married. I should have learned that from my first marriage experience. These are the things I want you to know. I guess I was just too caught up in the moment. And, having another child was not really so important to me. But, I could tell from Phil's expression that he really did want to have children in the future. That future, therefore, may not include me. For the first time, both of us recognized the limitations of our age difference.

"I let it go, but then a few days later, he brought up selling the house again. Well, Bella, if I wasn't going to part of his future, I sure didn't want to spend all the money I have invested in the house."

"Smart thinking, Mom."

"So, I told him that I did not want to sell the house because it provided too much security for the future. He got so angry. More than I have ever seen him in my life. He started screaming at me that we had bills to pay now and future security meant nothing to him. I told him that if he was that worried that he should go out and find a job. He said he was going out, alright. So, he got up and left. He didn't come back, Bella. He told me he was staying with a friend. Turns out his friend is a woman he met at one of the games. And, apparently, they both have an addiction to pain pills. Maybe that's why he got so angry or why he needed money so desperately. But, he turned into someone I didn't know. I offered to help him get assistance with his addiction. But, he didn't want it, he only wanted me to give him his half of our stuff so he could sell it."

I had to be the lamest mom ever. I wish I could see what Bella was thinking. She probably was ashamed of me for being so incompetent not to have foreseen this whole mess coming. She was being so quiet. "We didn't have much there. The apartment was rented. I gave him his stuff, the wedding rings, and sold what was left. All my clothes from there are in the suitcases. I sent the rest of my things back in a box to Phoenix. We didn't really have any complicated joint property so we filed the papers ourselves. They should be final in a few weeks. I will not be returning to Florida when I leave here."

Bella's POV

I couldn't believe my mother had kept all this from me. I was going to be leaving her all alone, too. No wonder she was so sad. She really was losing everything. We were pulling into town. I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave her at the Bed and Breakfast that we had agreed upon. "Mom, I really am so sorry for everything going on right now. I wish I had known. I could have come to help you."

"Bella, you were planning you own wedding. I couldn't ask you to come."

"I would have come, nonetheless. Mom, are you sure you want to stay here? If you are strapped for cash, I am sure you can stay at the house. Dad won't mind."

"I really don't think I can face Charlie right now, sweetheart. I really just want to go in and take a long bath and sleep. Surprisingly, I feel better now that you know, Bella," Renee said as she forced a smile.

She might have felt better, but I definitely did not. I saw Edward pull up a few cars back. I had so much to talk to him about now. The doorman had already put her luggage on a cart. "Okay, Mom. I guess I'll leave you to it, and come back in a couple of hours and we can have dinner."

"I love you, Bella."

"Love you, too, Mom."


	3. Change of Plans

SECOND CHANCES

SECOND CHANCES

Chapter 3

Renee's POV

Here I am again in Forks. The town isn't even big enough to have a decent anonymous hotel. This place was nice enough though and close to everything. By everything, of course, I meant Bella. I would have preferred a place where I didn't know anybody, but this would have to do.

"Renee! Glad you could come stay with us again. The last time was so short."

"Hi, Roger," I said tentatively. "Being the doorman today?"

"When I'm not being the front desk person or the maintenance man," he joked.

I gave a half laugh. "Thanks for helping me in with my stuff." Roger Stanton owned the local bed and breakfast with his wife. He had always been nice enough to me. His wife, Penny, however was another story. She feigned niceness but was one of the biggest gossips in town. Yeah, that woman was a real piece of work...

"Renee. I'm glad you're back. I see you will be staying with us for a week. Hopefully we will have time to get caught up this time around," said a falsely exuberant Penny.

Um-hmm, that's on the top of my list of things to do. "Sure," was all I said. I hoped my eyes didn't look so terrible from crying. I could just imagine her on the phone telling everybody how horrible I looked.

Something must have warned her that I didn't want to talk to her as she handed me my key and pulled away. "Will you be having dinner with us here tonight?"

"Probably. Bella may join me. Maybe her fiancée, too," I called over my shoulder as I was already heading up the stairs behind Roger to my room. Let her gossip. What did I care?

"If you need anything, just let us know. Don't worry about dinner. We are real informal here. You can go in the kitchen and serve yourself whenever you want."

"Thanks, Roger. For now I just want some peace and quiet." I closed and locked the door as he smiled and headed out. One would think a small town would be the first place for peace and quiet. But, I had never really known peace in Forks. Perhaps, though this time, the distance from Phil would help me clear my head. I left Forks once to start a new life. And, here I was again. I would leave here again in a week and start another chapter.

Bella POV

I drove home as quickly as my truck would go. My head was spinning trying to process my mom's information. I really wanted to talk to Edward. Of course, he had beaten me home and was waiting patiently against his car. We quickly went inside.

"So, Edward, I guess you heard my mother's news?" I asked.

"Sorry for eavesdropping. You seriously didn't think I would let you go to Port Angeles by yourself though, did you?" he smirked.

"No, I don't care about that. I just want to know what my mom was thinking. Did she keep anything important from me?" I pleaded needing to understand.

"Bella, you mother has always said pretty much exactly what she thinks. She didn't filter much. You got the whole story. The only other thing is that she worries that she has been a bad parent. Part of her thinks that if she hadn't married Phil, you would have stayed in Arizona and wouldn't be making this _horrible_ mistake." He grinned. "She's just worried about you."

"So, nothing else?"

"Well, she doesn't like your truck very much," he teased.

"It's a great truck!" I bellowed. I would have slugged him for his teasing, but it would only hurt me more than him.

I grew serious. "Edward, this changes many things for me. I have spent a great deal of time taking care of Renee. I know that she doesn't do well on her own. I wasn't upset about leaving Charlie because he's lived most of his life alone. But, Renee was another story. I was okay because she had Phil. Now she's by herself."

Edward nodded understandably. "Whatever you want to do, Bella, I will support." Of course, Edward was kissing me on my neck at the time which only made it harder for me to think. "Even if you want to call the whole thing off, I will stand beside you."

"Edward, I don't want to cancel everything! I do want to be with you...in every way. I also would not imposition all the people who have helped us pull this together that way," I replied as indignantly as I could as my breath was becoming more and more shallow from his kisses. I pushed him away. "I've just been thinking..." I couldn't believe that I was going to ask him this. "Would you mind if we changed our travel plans and went to Arizona with my mom after the wedding...for a while?"

"If that's what you want, Bella," Edward smiled broadly because he understood the implications of my desire. He knew that this would buy him the precious time that he had asked for before changing me into a vampire. "You know that is fine with me."

I rolled my eyes at his unbridled happiness to this proposition. "Of course, it will be hard for you there. You wouldn't be able to go outside much. And, you'll have to travel farther for hunting." Maybe I hadn't thought this through very well. I was so overwhelmed.

"It will be tricky if you plan on us living with Renee. She certainly will question why I don't go outside during the day and don't eat." But, if we get our own apartment nearby, I think we could manage. And, we can explain my hunting absences by saying that I'm visiting my family. It would be very hard to leave you for those periods of time. Especially there, so close to where I almost lost you once before. But, if you think this is for the best, we can work it out, my love," he sighed

Could I really do that to Edward? He would be stuck inside all day so I could make sure Renee ate and paid her bills? How long would I want to stay there? Would she ever be able to take care of herself? "I don't know Edward. Grrr! This is so frustrating. I had this all worked out in my head, and now I just don't know," I grimaced.

"We can talk about it later if you like. For now, your father will be here in a few minutes," he replied.

I jumped up to go start dinner for Charlie. I would be going to have dinner with Mom soon. I could tell her of my idea and see her reaction. Maybe that would help make things more clear for me.

"Hey Bells!" called Charlie. "Edward," he added politely. He still wasn't as friendly to Edward as I would like, but had seemed to come around to the inevitability of him and I being together forever.

"Charlie," Edward stood to leave. "I have some errands to run for my family so I will see you later, Bella," he kissed me on the cheek and headed out the door.

"How's your mom, sweetheart?" asked Charlie.

"Well, Dad, you'd better sit down for this one."


	4. Transition

SECOND CHANCES

SECOND CHANCES

Chapter 4

Bella's POV:

I purposely set out a little late to join Renee for her dinner. I knew she didn't want to dine with the other guests. Or, the proprietors. Edward would be joining us later. Driving over, I replayed my conversations with Charlie over again. He was sympathetic to Renee's plight, but didn't understand why I was so anxious. I guess because Charlie had lived alone most of his life, he didn't see why Renee should have a problem. Or at least why I should make it my problem. Nevertheless, he asked me to offer any help he could give to Renee. I knew that Charlie still carried a lot of feelings for her and would do anything he could to help her out. I think he still felt like he owed her.

Renee's POV:

I knew Bella would be arriving shortly, so I went ahead and made my way down to the dining room. I was happy to see that everyone else had cleared out. I felt substantially better having had a nap. Perhaps some food would be good, too.

I saw Bella coming and waved her to join me. She really had turned into quite the young woman. But, I could tell that she seemed troubled. "Hi, sweetie. I hope you aren't too hungry waiting so late for me."

"Don't worry, Mom. I fixed Charlie some dinner and snacked a little with him," she answered.

"How is Charlie?" I asked politely.

"Charlie is Charlie, Mom."

Really, what else could be said? Charlie had always been Charlie. Stubborn and proud, but a good man inside. "Let's eat and we can talk some more." I felt that Bella really had a lot to say about all that I had told her earlier. It really was a lot to put on her without warning. "Will Edward be joining us?" I asked as filled our plates and returned to the dining room.

"He will be here as soon as he can. He had some things to do to prepare for the wedding," Bella answered.

I could tell that she didn't want to talk about her own upcoming wedding and the way that she trailed those words off told me that she felt embarrassed for me. "Bella, don't do that."

"What, Mom?" she said.

"Don't temper your own happiness for my sake. I am here to celebrate with you even though I don't know why exactly you have to be married so soon. But, I don't want my situation to affect your mood." She seemed tight as a spring.

"Mom," she sighed, "I just worry about you."

"I know you do, but really, it would be best for me if we could move on past my situation." I really did not want to relive my last few weeks. In fact, I was happy to be here visiting even if I wasn't sure about the wedding.

"Well, Mom, there is one more thing I would like to discuss with you and then we can move on." Bella said.

So much like her father, Bella could be awfully stubborn, too. "Okay, but briefly!" I warned.

"Edward and I have discussed it, and we think it would be a good idea if we come to Phoenix with you after the wedding."

She seemed serious. "Like for your honeymoon?" I queried.

"For the honeymoon and then to stay for a while. Just until you are back on your feet." She answered earnestly.

Wow! She really did think I was completely incompetent. "Bella, do not be absurd! It is too late for you and Edward to apply to any school in Arizona. The only reason that I have not been more adamant against this wedding is for the fact that you two were leaving here and going to school. I do not want you to end up in the same situation that I did. Perhaps you have forgotten who the child is in this equation. I may not have always been the best mom to you, but I am your mother. I do not need you to come hold my hand for me." I replied a bit too harshly.

I could tell my words stung as Bella's face became flushed and she lowered her eyes. "Mom, I just want you to be okay."

"I know you do. But, the best way to ensure that I'm okay is for you to go on with your life," I said a little more calmly now. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you."

Bella's POV:

I couldn't believe my mom was yelling at me. Just because I wanted to make sure she would be taken care of. Maybe she had forgotten all the years that I did take care of her. I kept my anger in check as I saw Edward coming in. He obviously could hear everything in Renee's mind right now, so he knew that she had rebuffed my idea to go to Arizona. He seemed a bit upset, as well. He for completely different reasons, though. "Well, Mom, let's get the nest few days and then we can decide."

"There is nothing to decide. Who said I was going directly back to Arizona anyway?" she said.

That was something new and something that would have to talk to her about later.

"Hello, Renee. It is nice to see you again," Edward said as he quickly shook Renee's hand. An almost imperceptible shiver ran through Renee. It was difficult for Edward to decide how much physical contact would be appropriate with my mom. Wouldn't she question it if he didn't shake hands with her? The coolness of his skin seemed like a natural warning to discourage anything closer.

"Likewise, Edward," Renee smiled, but I could tell she was not completely comfortable.

We continued to make small talk. Edward did not say a word to Renee about her situation and I think she was grateful for it. She really didn't want me to bother her with it right now. Edward had turned on the charm and Renee was growing more relaxed the longer we talked.

"Renee, Alice would like Bella to come to the house tomorrow for some last minute preparations. She and Carlisle would really like to see you again and the rest of my family would like to meet you as well. So, I was wondering if you could come with her tomorrow and spend the day with us?" Edward's voice was like honey. I couldn't believe that he would want Renee there as perceptive as she seemed to be. But, when he looked up at her like that from under his eyelashes, how could she refuse him?

"I don't have anything else to do, so I think that would be fine." She answered.

It all seemed so normal. Like what any normal human family would be doing to prepare for a wedding. But, we were anything but normal.

"And, Mom, Charlie said that he would like to have some 'family time' if you'd like to join us for dinner tomorrow?" I asked while she was still under Edward's spell.

"I guess that couldn't hurt, either." She replied. "You kids should probably get out of here and have some fun. I am still feeling a bit jet lagged and the time change is hitting me. I would really like to turn in early," she said as she suppressed a yawn.

I reluctantly left her, but she looked so sad sitting there alone, it was difficult to do so.

Later that night when Edward joined me in my bedroom, he could sense that I was still upset about her. "Bella, your mom doesn't want you to worry like this. It is only making things more difficult for her. You have to put on a happier front for her," he told me.

I didn't realize how stressed I was until Edward started lightly massaging my shoulders. "You are so tense. Let me see if I can relax you a little," he cooed as he softly kissed my hair and then turned me to kiss me on the lips. His lips then moved down my throat as my breathing became more shallow and my cheeks flushed.

"Edward, this is not relaxing me," I finally managed.

"Yes, but it is making you not think about Renee, right?" he teased.

"That's true, but your teasing only leads to more frustration for me," I pouted as I pulled myself very close to him.

"A few more days, my love, and we'll work on those frustrations," he said as he gently pushed me away slightly. "It will all work out," he said as he started to hum my lullaby. And, in his arms, I really did feel that it all would work out.


End file.
